New York City FC has hired Klutch Sports Group to coordinate stadium partnerships for the soccer-specific stadium set to open in 2027. Through its Global Partnerships division, the agency will take the lead in selling NYCFC’s “Founding Partnerships,” the club’s premier sponsorship program, to interested brands.
Though Klutch is far better known for athlete representation, this is one of the few known agreements where the Rich Paul-led agency will represent a team’s interest in the marketplace.
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“We are excited to work with Klutch on our ‘Excelsior Partner Program’ and are confident they will connect us with like-minded brands,” Brad Sims, the team’s CEO, said in a statement. “With our new home, our goal is to make New York City FC the flagship franchise in Major League Soccer and the hottest ticket in New York sports.”
The 25,000-seat soccer-specific arena is the centerpiece of a redevelopment project in the Willets Point neighborhood of Queens, the city’s largest borough by land. On April 11, the New York City Council approved the mixed-use project with a 47-1 vote. Construction of the stadium itself, which will be next door to the New York Mets’ Citi Field, will be privately funded to the tune of $780 million.
At the time of the vote, Sims told Sportico that by not being a tenant in a stadium, the MLS side can monetize its own building through naming rights, sponsorships and premium seating. “Right now, 80% of our matchday revenue is coming from general seating,” Sims said in April. “In the new stadium, I think 80% or more of our revenue will be coming from premium seating or hospitality areas. It’s just a massive switch there, and then also the sponsorship opportunities are tremendous.”
Klutch has previously worked with NYCFC in selecting Capital Rx, a health technology company, as the club’s sleeve partner. Hiring Klutch to sell its premier sponsorships comes just over four months after NYCFC enlisted Legends to manage the new venue’s premium seating and suites.
Founded in 2013 with its first MLS season coming two years later, NYCFC is co-owned by City Football Group (80%) and Yankees Global Enterprises (20%), which are better known for owning Manchester United and the New York Yankees, respectively.
The club has been billed as “the city’s team,” even though its neighbor, the MetroStars/Red Bulls, have played in the MLS since its inaugural season in 1996. NYCFC has had a nomadic journey…